Cartridge



T. SHAW.

GARTRIDGE.

(No Model.)

No. 255.542. Patented Mar 28.1882.

4 iii 7 4 i VVENTOR w W! TNESSES: /g

A TTORNEY To all whom it may concern:

I cartridges are to be ii red from the rear a metal inch in diameter, or less,

handling of cartridges without damage to heat from one charge of powder c UNITED STATES THQMAS SHAW, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARTRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming" part of Letters Batent Nor 255,542, dated March 28, 1882.

Application tiled November 22. 1881,..(N0 model.) I

rating the the wire next I partitions,

Be it known that I, THOMAS SHAW, of the to the ball'is secured to the ball city anu county of Ihihidelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and improved mode of maintaining central bore for the reception of the wire, and an enlargement ofthe bore at its inner end for the solderiugor riveting of the end of the 'wire to secure it.

wire is secured to any part of the rear portion of cartridge 'm. The efi'ect of the wire is to tear through the several partitions interposed between the several layers of powder, which tearing action occurs at any lengths of the coils of wire, and determines at what points of the balls travel in the gun the successive charges of powder shall be exploded. By such successive explosions a high average pressure can be maintained in the gun during the entire traverse of the ball.

The layers or partitions of fusible sheet metal and plaster and paratiine or wax interposed between the several charges of powder high pressures in guns to give accelerating speed to shot and shell fired from ordnance; and I hereby declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

invention consists in certain improvements in means for expelling projectiles from guns bysuccessive layers of powder exploded in succession, as hereinafter described.

The drawing represents a longitudinal section through the center of an ordinary gun, with broken section at breech, and an ordinary conical ball, 6, and a cartridge, m.

The cartridge-case is formed preferably of cylinders of sheet-lead covered externally by several layers of strong paper to permit the heat, and thus prevent the heat of one charge igniting the next, until at the proper moment, determined by the arrangement of the wire, the latter will tear a passage in the partition, insuring the ignition of the charge, as before explained.

metal casing. The partitions oi" fusible sheet metal nterposed between the several layers of powder, f g h i It I, are ordinary disks of metal with the edges turned at right angles (cup shape) for onefourth to one-half inch, and are stamped or spnu to size to fit into the exterior casing. Paraftine, wax, or equivalent substance is poured into the case after inserting each charge to make water-tight joints at the seams of the disk and case, after which plaster-of-paris is poured on top of the disk to make a layer more or less thick, according to the size of the cartridge, the purpose of the plaster being to prevent too rapid an access of to the other. Any required number of layers of powder are thus similarly arranged with metal disks, paral'linc, and plaster between them. When the in diameter to the ball it can be used in any gun in which the latter can be inserted.

I 'claim- 1. The combination, with the ball or other projectile, ot' a cartridge equal in diameter to closed chambers,each containing an explosive, and a coiled wire or its equivalent extending purpose set forth 7 T. SHAW.

tube is placed in the center of said cartridge in the manner shown. Said tube is made strong enough to be used as a gun-barrel for an ordinary copper-case pistol-cartridge, c,- hnt when tired from a. touchhole through the cylinder of the gun a touch-hole is made of diameter to suit a similar pistol-cartridge at a point, D, to insure the firing of the charge of powder next to the ball first. A cable of small twisted wire, a, of about one-fourth of an according to size of Witnesses:

.WM. B.HUGHES,. WM. Ganwoon.

gun, is coiled through the cartridge in, perfoby a screw-plug, d, which screw-plug has a The other extremity of thethe ball, divided by partitions into a series of as shown. The end of 55,

predetermined constitute shields temporarily impervious to It will be seen that as the cartridge is'equal through the chambers for successively exposr so 

